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Solids to help with BM

So we just started BLW a few days ago with my 6 mo son. So far he has only had bananas (except some mashed potatoes yesterday for Thanksgiving!), haven't really ventured out too far yet. I think we'll be trying sweet potatoes soon.

My question is this- what would be some good foods to help him poop more often? I ask this because forever now (probably since he was a month or two) he has been spacing his poops out to every 7 to 14 days. I think it causes him discomfort and gas. I know this can be normal and when he does go it's very loose so I know he's not constipated, but I think he would be more comfortable if he went more often. I also wonder if he would sleep better because at times it seems like gas wakes him up.

I guess I would like to know good foods to help him go more often and also foods to avoid that might cause constipation or gas. Dr recommended to mix prune juice and water to see if that helps. I have been working with him to learn how to use a straw cup, so I did that since I was having him use a cup anyway- but I really want to limit the juice intake.

Re: Solids to help with BM

we had a very similar problem. first, i'd skip the bananas, they are pretty "binding". for our LO, also jar type carrots were binding as well. I think some starchy foods like sweet potato can also cause issues.

Stuff that is good to "go", fruits that start with p: pears, peaches, prunes. Prune puree was a lifesaver for us. It does have a very strong flavor, but we had an easier time feeding it to LO than the juice, since we also limit juice. I think when he's older you can offer actual prunes, cut up (like over a year since they are harder to chew).

also it might help to offer a little water in a cup (to practice as you said). water is sucked out of food when it digests so adding a little extra to the system can help move it along easier.

also once you notice the constipation, its usually too late to fix that day, so my solution was to offer p foods in regular rotation, and not wait for problems to introduce them. so we just kept them in to keep her regular.

Re: Solids to help with BM

No bananas!

My third child ended up being very prone to co stipation, so we tried to rotate foods that seemed to slow things down. For him, too much fiber would totally block him up, so things like pears and peaches were always good.

Re: Solids to help with BM

If his bm's are loose then there is no need to treat this as constipation. Does he seem to be in pain? It's normal for breastfed babies to go a week or more between bm's. As he eats more solids he should have more regular bm's but probably not for a while yet as breastmilk is still making up the majority of his diet (as it should be ). Sometimes babies grunt and pass a lot of gas while they are working on a bowel movement but that doesn't mean that they are having trouble.

The "p" fruits will soften his stools and if they are already soft you wont likely see an increase in frequency by adding them.

~Jenn~

mother of 2 boys!08/14/98~~03/20/08Birth: 7lbs 12oz, 1 year: 22lbs 11oz until he self-weaned 4 days before his third birthday ... still on occasion ... and happily ************************************************** ************************************************** *****************People need to understand that when they're deciding between breastmilk and formula, they're not deciding between Coke and Pepsi.... They're choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available. ~Chele Marmet

Re: Solids to help with BM

Originally Posted by @llli*sch.mommy

If his bm's are loose then there is no need to treat this as constipation. Does he seem to be in pain? It's normal for breastfed babies to go a week or more between bm's. As he eats more solids he should have more regular bm's but probably not for a while yet as breastmilk is still making up the majority of his diet (as it should be ). Sometimes babies grunt and pass a lot of gas while they are working on a bowel movement but that doesn't mean that they are having trouble.

The "p" fruits will soften his stools and if they are already soft you wont likely see an increase in frequency by adding them.

He does seem to be uncomfortable a lot with gas, but I don't think it's constipation because stools are loose. So maybe the foods won't help, but I will avoid the banana's and try to keep him from getting constipated.

Re: Solids to help with BM

3rd on the no-bananas, also rice cereal. DD was always... helped along... by the P fruits and BEANS! Beans are a great early food - soft, full of nutrition - as long as LO has developed the pincher grip enough to deal with them. Otherwise you could mash them and smear on toast, or offer on spoon? DD loooooves beans
I thought that DD was constipated when we started solids (a week with no poops, but clearly uncomfortable. a couple of baby enemas. they are not fun) but the poops were still soft like you described. The only way I can describe it is that maybe, they just don't know how to poop If you're used to ebf poo just happening in your diaper without any effort, and then suddenly have to push it out, even the tinies bit... I can see how that would be confusing! After a couple months DD seemed to "get it" and now enjoys bananas and sticky rice with no problems (and her poos are even more solid, which lends strength to my "i don't know how to poo" theory).